Mountain Musings

Work in Progress ~ Finally Completed!

The month of January so far has not turned out to be a very productive month.

Unfortunately, the plans for organizing my sewing room and getting a zillion things in order all over the house.....has been postponed a bit.

I am finally coming out of a long 3-week cold virus that had both me and Tom down for the count!

Today I actually felt like sitting at the sewing machine, and it felt good!

I leisurely started sewing binding on a quilt, clipped it in place, and started the satisfying work of hand-stitching around the quilt.

It's quite embarrassing how long this quilt has been in limbo. My quilting buddy, Chris, and I each started sewing this row by row quilt together in 2015...8 years y'all!

Here's evidence from the label I sewed on the back and stitched when I finished the top. I called it "Sewing in Snow" because we sewed in the snowy winter when there was no gardening to do...she in her cozy home and I in mine...comparing notes as we sewed each row.

And here's the whole label below, which I sent to the long arm quilter to quilt onto the back of the quilt. I normally add just a small label with my name and date once the quilt is returned to me. This label was a big honker!

I think the reason the completion has been so long in coming was once we completed our quilts in 2015, my top sat folded on my shelf for years waiting until I could find a long arm quilter to quilt it.

Once I did find someone, the quilting was completed, and it was ready for me to pick up. Then the quilt sat yet again for a couple of years waiting for me to do just what I did today...bind it!

Here's the quilt laid out on our queen bed for display...it's really for a twin or double bed size:

And kudos to my friend, Chris, who, to her credit, had her quilt finished and on her guest room bed when I visited her several years ago. You can see why this is embarrassing on my end!

But...as of today 2023 my Work in Progress from 2015 is now complete. Quilt's in the washer and now dried, fluffed, and ready for use!

Today's binding and seeing the quilt finished definitely brought back some good memories!

Looking to start a new project next week!

~Deb

Christmas Memories Part 4 ~ The Quilts!

Is this not the sweetest picture??  This is the puppy quilt I made for my grandson for Christmas.We were not with them at Christmas this year, so I especially loved seeing this photo!

He's pointing to the one puppy who has blue glasses just like he wears! Sarah told me that the kids were pretending that the puppies had stolen Andrew's glasses! So creative! I think he likes it!

Pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman and called The Puppies. Quilting is by Snowbird Quilts. Quilting pattern is called Puppy Love with hearts and paw prints. So adorable!

If you scroll Snowbird Quilts Instagram link, you can find photos of various stages of the puppy long-arm quilting on her site (scroll through), and you can better see the Puppy Love pattern.

Special thanks also to my friend Cindy who appliqued the blue glasses on the puppy for me...her skills are far better than mine when it comes to applique!

The backing is flannel from JoAnn Fabrics, and this is the personalized label I sewed on:

And this is how I packaged the quilt in the box before wrapping it up. Here's looking at you, Andrew!

This is the flower quilt I made for Hannah for her new home in Michigan. Maybe all the spring flowers will help her forget about all the snow she'll be seeing this winter!

I think this is the first quilt I've made with a colored background, and this charcoal fabric really does make the flowers pop!

I think she was surprised when she opened this quilt because I amazingly kept it a secret that I was working on it. Plus she knew I was busy making the puppy quilt. Great surprise!

This pattern is called Walk in the Park by V and Company:

The fabric is Ombre, also by V and Company. The quilting pattern is called Bloom and Plume. It was quilted by Snowbird Quilts.

If you go to her Instagram link, you can scroll through and see the quilt in various stages of long-arm quilting and also pictured on a queen bed. Quality quilting!

 

Well, I think my sewing room needs some January clean slate cleaning before I decide what my next project might be. But I'm looking forward to starting something new and fresh later this month.

~Deb

AND LIFE GOES ON....CATCHING UP

Where did September, October, and November go?  I'm really wondering! And what has been happening since the busy summer of wedding planning and Hannah and Christopher's wedding?

Well, it almost doesn't seem possible that Hannah has been married for almost three months! Yes, we do miss her a lot but bottom line...she is totally loving married life, setting up her home, preparing meals for her husband, harvesting vegetables, hosting gatherings at their home, making new friends, and becoming adjusted to life in Michigan!

And, yes, our garden girl found a garden away from home, ready and ripe for the harvesting. Here are Hannah and Christopher spending a Saturday gathering potatoes:

And harvesting butternut squash with Christopher's brothers:

Every time I get a photo from her, she is smiling (a lot!) and says she is enjoying it all!

In the meantime, Tom and I were left with a garden that needed harvesting with the last of the veggies and cleaning up before the winter hits. We've been doing it bit by bit, as old folks have to pace themselves! This is no joke!

 

And we did get out and about this fall to enjoy the Skyline Drive and have a picnic. The leaves this year were not very vibrant, but the day was beautiful:

Picnicking on the Skyline Drive with friends:

Other things Tom has been up to include building a brand new lectern for our church. It is definitely an heirloom...a beautiful piece of furniture! Here he is installing it so it would be ready and in place for Sunday's services:

Tom has also become a guitar teacher for our grandson who wanted to learn guitar. They enjoy a long-distance zoom guitar lesson together every Monday afternoon:

Speaking of grandkids...I can't leave the others out! Here's a picture of four cuties ready for church on a Sunday morning:

And these two sweetie grandsons live faraway too! I love getting their pictures on text!

Time to Travel.........

In October Tom and I were able to travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary from back in August...and scenes like this one below were common sights.

   photo credit: The Traveler World Guide.com

Our destination was the Sight and Sound Theater to see a presentation of "David."  Excellent production!

Lancaster is well known for Amish wood-working and quilt shops--perfect for both of us! I visited several of the shops and enjoyed looking around at the quality furniture, fabric, crafts, and quilts:

While we were that far up north, we continued on to Connecticut to visit Tom's siblings. It had been many years since we were up that direction. Here are all four siblings together in sister Ellen's backyard:

We also had a photo session one day with Tom's two sisters who were recipients of a quilt I made each of them:

Here are Ellen and her husband Ed holding the Scrappy Sunflowers quilt I made her for a retirement gift:

And here are Tom and sister Sue holding the Wonky Stars Scrappy quilt I made for her birthday:

One of our activities while there was walking Long Island Sound...a beautiful area and beautiful afternoon:

Our New England visit soon came to a close, and we made it home in time to celebrate Jonathan's birthday with his annual Turtle Cake!

His birthday also consisted of a trip to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. which he absolutely loved since his passion is planes! 

I told him I could understand how he would love all the planes in the museum....if that yellow plane in the picture below happened to be a yellow quilt on display, I'd love it, too!

And last but not least....Mail Call!!  Look what I received as a late birthday gift...I'll take a late birthday gift like this any day--a beautiful sunflower table runner from my quilty friend, Chris!  Thank you, sweet friend!

Just two old people wandering the streets of Staunton:

Hope you've enjoyed this catch-up post. Everyone have a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

~Deb

Songbook Hymn Quilt ~ Firm Foundation ~ Gifted!

It's time to get back to posting about life in the sewing room! I wanted to show you the quilt I sewed this spring/early summer. I couldn't post pictures until this birthday gift was given away to the intended recipient.

The hymn panels were so fun to sew and color-coordinate with the chapel frames, doors, and steeples. Each hymn was one of my favorites as I worked on it.

The fabric is Songbook created by Stephanie over at Fancy That Design House, and the quilt pattern is called Firm Foundation, written by Anna at My Wandering Path.

 

Here's the quilt on our bed to display each of the chapels and hymn panels:

The back is flannel and was quilted (by Maureen at The Quiltery in Fairfield) with musical notes, which show up well against the solid backing. As you can see from the label, it's being gifted to my friend Kathy for her 60th birthday:

And here are my able-bodied quilt holders getting in on the action!  I have enough fabric and hymn panels to make another quilt, but I have more projects to complete before beginning the same exact quilt again:

So today I traveled to North Garden, Virginia, about an hour away, to rendezvous with my friend at Dr. Ho's Humble Pie...I'd never been there before...yay for new experiences!

It was a fun outing, even though neither one of us ordered their famous pizza pie!

Afterwards, I mentioned I had a birthday gift out in my vehicle for her. After she saw the big gift bag, I'm not sure I surprised her. After all...what could it be but a quilt!? :)

I think she liked it!  Mission accomplished!

Now I need to figure out my next project! Stay tuned for whenever it's gifted.

~Deb

Hannah's Bridal Shower

Looks like there's a party happening!

This past weekend was a very special occasion for Hannah! We traveled to Michigan for her bridal shower, so beautifully given by her fiance's mother and sisters.

The theme of "He has made everything beautiful in His time" was a special verse for each of them, acknowledging God's working in their lives to bring them to this point....in His timing. Thank you to Christopher's sister, Grace, for her artistic crafting of the verse!

As guests arrived, they were instructed...."this direction for the shower, please!"

All the decorations were lovely, especially on this corner cabinet, and the purple hydrangeas everywhere just added the perfect touch:

Here's a view of this side of the room as we began with a Welcome and Prayer.

And if you notice that computer set up in front of the corner hutch, that's Hannah's sister Sarah and little daughter attending the shower virtually all the way from Georgia!! Sooo thankful Sarah could join in!

And a view of the opposite side of the room as we all sang a hymn to begin. You can see Hannah, the guest of honor, on the left with all the generous gifts awaiting in front of her:

Here are two of Hannah's future sisters-in-law who helped put on the shower:

Hannah and I are chatting with Christopher's Grandma, who is a delightful lady!

Beautiful and delicious dessert table:

Drinks provided were Orange-Apple Lemonade and Raspberry-Peach Tea:

Lots of fun conversations and getting acquainted with the Michigan relatives!

So what's a bridal shower without a game or two. Here's Hannah and guests writing down answers to one of the games.

The corner hutch in the photo below belonged to my Aunt Bunny and was passed down to Hannah. It is filled with antique pieces, and Hannah will enjoy it here in her new home:All the guests enjoyed guessing various things about Hannah and Christopher's preferences and how they matched up...Mexican or Asian? Stay home or Go Out? Early Bird or Night Owl?

Also in this photo below, you can see Hannah has brought her quilt ladder (made by Dad) with her various quilts displayed. The mirror over the sofa was also a handmade wood piece by Dad to use in her new home.

Hannah is posing with another future sister-in-law who is married to Christopher's brother. They will live right down the road from each other after the wedding:

Time to open some gifts...and such nice gifts were given. Hannah was very appreciative of everyone's generosity:

These young girls brought her the gifts and helped her open:

At the close of the bridal shower, the groom-to-be made an appearance; and one of the shower gifts--a striking red clock--was installed immediately in just the perfect spot! Love it!

We're back home in Virginia this week with more wedding list to-dos to tackle and cross off the list. I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into our weekend. It was definitely an encouraging time. We're very thankful!

~Deb

 

(photo credit: bridal shower hostesses, thank you!)

Celebrating Aunt Bet's Birthday

From the previous post about my meet-up with a blogger friend, you know that I was in South Carolina last weekend. The occasion was my sister's birthday, and Hannah and I traveled down to help Aunt Bet celebrate! It had been well over two years since I'd been able to travel to visit her, so this was definitely a special trip!

One of the places she took us was to this little joint...nondescript on the outside for sure...but lots of buzz happening inside and definitely interesting!

Our mission was to purchase Morning Buns or A.M. buns, as the Bakeroom called them, for the next day's breakfast. We had never had this delicacy, but we found out that it was definitely worth the trip!

Located right next door to the Bakeroom was Methodical Coffee, but it was too close to lunch for Hannah to sample their famous brew, even though we had heard so much about this place.

Another place we've been to many times when we've visited is a little garden and antique shop located somewhat close by in Saluda, NC, The Gardener's Cottage:

For anyone who loves plants, there are so many things here for a gardener to delight in, as you can tell from this photo:

The owner had displayed several eye-catching arrangements by the door as you enter, and one of these little teacups came home with me:

And the building next door, The Brass Latch, is worth a browse also. Saluda is a unique little town, and I always enjoy driving through there:

I wanted to treat my sister to a special birthday meal while we were in town, so we decided on Lieu's Asian Bistro:

The food was delicious and plenteous enough that we each had lunch all set for the next day:

 

Hannah also wanted to treat Aunt Bet to a special meal...this time home-cooked. So she set to work in the kitchen and prepared a menu of Roasted Honey Garlic Butter Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, asparagus, salad, and Focaccia Bread:

Hannah enjoys cooking and thought it was extra fun to prepare Aunt Bet's birthday meal:

Landrum, SC, is another little town with various shops housed in vintage brick buildings. It was fun to visit an Amish furniture store, and we loved browsing several antique stores. This unique sign was in the furniture store...I loved it!

This antique wrought-iron piece caught my eye which could be used as garden decor with possibly a climbing clematis wrapping its tendrils around it..however, the price tag of $65 means it isn't down in my garden today:

Last, but not least, another adventure was a trek to Abbott's Frozen Custard in downtown Greer, SC:

Sisters enjoying custard:

Well, did we fill every minute we were there with something special, or what?!  Yes, I definitely like to do things on vacation...but sometimes even I need to rest. I brought some hand sewing with me to work on just in case we were home long enough..LOL!

I'll leave you with a final photo....taken in my sister's house of her beautiful calligraphy:

It was a very good trip, but I have been recuperating all this week! :)

~Deb

Sunflowers Growing on My Deck in March!

Yesterday (Saturday) our area of the Valley received 4 inches of that lovely white stuff! Noooo, please...but maybe this will be winter's final fling! 

The higher 65 degree temps this coming week will be a welcome change...so much so that I've already placed my annual mulch order in anticipation of sprucing up the yard. Sounds like work to me!

But even now....take a look...there are sunflowers growing on my deck in March!

 

I've finally gotten back into my sewing room this past week, and I'm loving creating again!! I made the Scrappy Sunflowers pattern by Lella Boutique...and my able helpers held it up for a photo.

So with the leftover yellows I decided to use them for a table runner. This one is small enough that I can quilt it myself, so I will do that and bind it this week, and it will be ready for gift giving.

 

Last month, the February Scrappy Hearts Sew-Along by Emily Dennis was what renewed my interest in sewing again. I loved making all the pink hearts during Valentine's month. This one is also ready for the quilter to work her magic with her long-arm machine.

And last but not least....I found a quilt top hiding away in my sewing room that I made in 2015! Whaaat?

The label was already made and dated. This is one I made virtually with my friend Chris 7 years ago!!! Hers was quilted and already in use on her guest room bed when I stayed overnight a few years ago.

Mine got lost in the shuffle! But, now that it's found, it's ready to go to the quilter this week, too.

This is called a Row by Row quilt...what's your favorite row?  My favorites are the tulips, apples, and mugs!

So those are my sewing room adventures for February / March. I have a long wish-list of quilts I need to make, and I'm deciding which to start on next.

~Deb

Woodworking, Hosting, Birthing, Celebrating, Daily Life!

In last month's Mountain Musings post, I promised to catch you up on some various happenings around the old homestead.

Tom planned another session of Grampa's Workshop, this time with our oldest grandson when he came to visit. Here they are doing some serious woodworking. Can you guess what they'll be making?

Below, sanding the project:

Sanding all done, now they're staining the wood pieces. I love this picture of intense concentration:

All done and ready to take home the finished phone stand for himself and to give the other two as gifts. Two happy woodworkers:

Jonathan thought everyone would enjoy a tour of his workplace. So off we went to the airport!

Inside the cockpit of the Columbine:

The airport included several fun things for kids to do while on the tour. Here's Jonathan with another of our grandsons in a small kiddie airplane:

Jonathan gave us a very interesting tour of the facility:

While our son, Micah, and his family were visiting, Jonathan wanted to host a meal at his house for everyone. And a fine meal it was! Here's the chef extraordinaire in action!

We enjoyed the fellowship of family (which included my sister Bet visiting)...and everyone said we must do this again!

When old friends get together...there's always time for photos to remember our special times:

And here we are--the old couple--enjoying being on a lunch date in Richmond with Fred and Chris (pictured above):

And I say old couple....because that young husband of mine just turned 65! Who knew??

Then soon after Tom's birthday, we celebrated Hannah's birthday! Lots of celebrating going on around here! It's all good!

One of Hannah's special gifts was a pizza peel. You can read more about it and see pictures over on Tom's woodworking blog:

And did I say there was some Birthing going on?  This little fellow...our newest grandson (yes, that makes 6 boys to 1 girl!) was almost a birthday buddy with Hannah...just missing by a couple of days:

Isn't this the most precious picture ever....meeting his new brother!

As I wrap up this post....if you ever wonder what we're doing around the Mountain Musings homeplace on a typical day....picture these scenes.

Hannah is usually in the kitchen either whipping up something delicious to eat like these cinnamon rolls....

Or she's producing a new batch of soap like this Sandalwood and Vetiver goats milk soap, which is curing now and will be ready in 10 days.

Whichever it is....cinnamon rolls or soap....she makes the house smell good!

And...packing up gift boxes for Monticello's Gift Shop:

And you can almost always find Tom out in his garage workshop working on a project:

You used to be able to find me in my sewing room...but the last time I was actually sitting down sewing was last February, a whole year ago when I finished sewing the heart quilt for our Galentine's Sew-Along! 

But that's going to change this week! I have many projects in mind for this year, and I need to buckle down and get started!

The heart quilt is now on display in time for Valentine's Day, 2022!

Next up:  This week is scheduled to be Hannah's annual Valentine's week of planning menus, shopping for ingredients, and cooking all week as a special treat for the family.  I always enjoy it every year and look forward to her varied menus!

So that gives me some extra time to be in the sewing room deciding what to start on first! 

I'll leave you with a final picture...because today was an inside Sunday Snow Day with a few inches here in the Valley, thankfully roads clear!

Happy Valentine's Week!

~Deb

...And Life Goes On

Many of you have asked how we're doing in this new season of life...without Granny with us. It has been different for sure. Sometimes we forget and think we should go check on her. She is missed!

But the Lord has been gracious and has given us hope in sad times as we've adjusted to the new routine. Thank you for the many prayers that have gone up for us.

This past month has consisted of a bit of settling down and resting, along with being encouraged by hosting different friends who were passing through, and celebrating Thanksgiving with more friends.

Here are our dear friends from Georgia who were attending the Virginia Family Encouragement Weekend and stopped for an overnight. We absolutely loved having them in our home again:And these long-time friends from Tennessee, who were visiting Polyface Farm in the area, stopped by for an overnight and a good time of catching up on each other's lives:

When these friends stopped by, we took them down to the farmers' market and showed them the city of Staunton: And, of course, lots of food during the holidays. Here's a photo taken around the food bar on Thanksgiving Day...an abundance of blessings as always:

On our Thanksgiving table again this year were pumpkin dinner rolls. Delicious!

And speaking of food on the table....Jonathan shot a deer...not his first...but his first time butchering it himself, with Hannah's help! We've enjoyed some venison stew (recipe follows, which I've used with beef many times) and some venison barbecue this season.

Holiday Shopping Beef Stew (or Venison)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds beef for stew; 4 or 5 medium potatoes, 4 or 5 carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, mashed (I used a can crushed tomatoes with basil) mixed with 1 can cream of celery soup, salt and pepper.

Cube all veggies and combine ingredients in casserole dish. Pour tomatoes/soup mixture over top. Cover with foil and bake in a 275 degree oven for 4 1/2 - 5 hours.  Go holiday shopping (or to church) and come home to a delicious meal.

To be honest, I never thought the word "enjoyed" would be associated with "deer" in the same sentence! I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the stew was, much to Jonathan's delight!

Tom, in the meantime, has completed the large dining room table project he's been working on for some months...and we took advantage of some strong-armed help to lift the extra-heavy table over to Jonathan's house and install it.

Tom writes more about getting it hauled, delivered, and installed on his blog here:

Jonathan will enjoy the final product in the years to come...lovingly made by Dad! It looks beautiful!

So, it's December, and the house has gotten decorated for Christmas, slowly but surely. Stockings are up. Cards are ordered and hopefully will arrive soon! Plans are being made for family members coming in to visit, and a couple of get-togethers with friends are on the calendar.

It's a wonderful season of celebration of the birth of Jesus!
Here's a delightful hymn to listen to as you set the tone for Christmas in your home. See Amid the Winter's Snow (Cambridge Choir of King's College).

From the Mountain Musings family to yours...we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2022!

~Deb

Early Fall Activities and Munchkin Visitors

All of a sudden, the season that we all love has arrived. We've had a few chilly mornings here in Virginia, and the gorgeous 70's temps are telling us the calendar page has turned to delightful October.

Hannah has been in the garden picking the last of the black-eyed peas, and we've been enjoying them for lunch...just today, in fact!

Someone told us last week that we hadn't posted many garden pictures this season, so here you go...a photo of Trinidad Scorpion peppers growing in our garden:

There's a story behind this particular peck of peppers...my fault, actually. Hannah sent me to the nursery for some hot pepper plants...I unknowingly went to the extreme, heh, heh.

So she planted them anyway, and Jonathan has a co-worker who wanted to take them off our hands and dry them into chili powder. Interesting how many peppers those four plants produced....dozens and dozens! This is just one small batch.

With the garden winding down, Hannah has been knee-deep in soap making, labeling, packaging, and boxing up hundreds of soaps lately for a big order. Here she is meticulously adding toppings to the soaps:

Granny likes to watch her work, and here's Hannah showing her one of her boxed gift sets:

Hannah often packages her soaps in Granny's room to keep Granny company:

Speaking of Granny...continue to pray, please. Most days are very hard for her. Here's Tom sitting and talking with her a few nights ago:

This summer Tom has been quite occupied in his workshop building a dining room table:

He's staining the legs now, and next up is staining the top and apron. A big project finally nearing completion!

In other news, part of our family joined other adventurous ones in our church group recently and hiked the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail near Afton Mountain one Saturday morning. I thought this was an interesting photo of the dark tunnel:

Munchkin Time!  Eric, Sarah, and children came to visit a couple of weekends ago on their way back home to Georgia from another trip.

It was a short stopover here, but these grandparents will take anything they can get! Always love having them visit, even when this Little Miss was scared of us at first!

Jonathan made sure to get in a brotherly hug with Sarah:

Here are the four cuties all ready to travel back home. Bye Bye, kiddies: 

Well, we sent them off and started prepping for our next guest to arrive a few days later....my friend, Carol from Texas, whom I've known for over 40 years. She was headed home after traveling for a few weeks and stopped by the Mountain Musings B & B.

Carol is an avid hymnologist and was here years ago to teach a class to friends who gathered in our living room.

She brought a bag of favorite hymnals with her, and we sang around the dining table that evening. Very entertaining and enjoyable:

It was fun to catch up with each other's lives.Thanks, Carol, for coming to visit!

So she wrote in our guest book, we took a final photo, and she was on her way back to Texas.

I'll close up this post with something for you to think about:

~Deb